Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume11 Chapter3

Milk Tea, Oolong Tea

Part 1

"Welcome."

A refined, white-haired elderly woman opened the wooden door and invited Yumi in.

"I was having an afternoon nap, when I got the feeling that a visitor would be coming soon. So I prepared some tea and waited. Hehehe, I was right on the money. I'm so glad."

"Huh?"

She took a bewildered Yumi by the hand and ushered her into the garden.

Of course, since she was standing in front of that door, Yumi had been intending to go inside. The moment she'd knocked on the door it had opened from the other side, and before she had a chance to state the reason for her visit she'd been dragged inside, so she was mildly flustered.

It was like a fairytale, where she'd just been caught by the wicked witch.

"Ah, umm – "

She had said, "A visitor." Yumi was getting a bit anxious, wondering if she'd been mistaken for someone else, when the old lady said:

"I know. You're Kei-san's friend's friend."

She tapped her index finger against her nose.

"Kei-san's friend's friend … "

In that case, there was no mistake. Yumi had come here because of the debt she owed to Katou-san from that rainy day.

It was Saturday, and the sun's rays were shining between the clouds for the first time in a while.

The reason Yumi had come all the way to Kei-san's house, when Kei-san went to Lillian's University, was because she knew from personal experience the difficulty of finding someone on campus.

Since Yumi had made the fundamental mistake of failing to get Kei-san's phone number when she had the chance, she had no way to get in touch and organize somewhere to meet.

"Kei-san's not in right now. So why don't you come and have a chat with me in the main building."

The elderly lady opened the glass sliding door that faced the garden and beckoned Yumi inside. While Yumi was still wondering what she should do, the old woman rushed inside, saying, "Oh no, the water's boiling over," and Yumi was drawn in behind her. Using the sliding door made Yumi think of entering through a window, which took her back to her childhood.

"… Pardon my intrusion."

The room was a living room, with tatami mats on the floor.

Black posts in white mortar walls. In this austere Japanese style room there was a Western table, and lace curtains hung from the wood-framed windows. By the window, there was an old looking rocking chair, and a floral patterned cushion gently swayed.

"The kettle's boiled over, and it looks like we just avoided an accident with the gas."

It wasn't a laughing matter, but the elderly lady seemed to be smiling with delight as she entered the living room. The light brown floral apron matched well with her white hair, and although it may be rude to say this about someone much older, she looked really cute.

"Have a seat in any old chair."

"Okay."

So Yumi sat down in the nearest chair. Strictly speaking, one of the chairs would be the head of the table, but since the room was a blend of Japanese and Western styles, Yumi couldn't determine which was which.

"Would milk tea be okay?"

"Umm, please don't go out of your way on account of me."

Yumi was fairly certain that this was the landlady, but she left a quite different impression compared to the first visit.

"I apologize for the other day. I'm not at my best when it's rainy."

"Uh, okay. Um, it was no problem."

It seemed that, once again, her thoughts had been read by someone else. Yumi was getting flustered, and the elderly lady smiled and placed a teacup in front of her.

"Thank-you."

As Yumi said this, she suddenly remembered, and diverted the hand that had been reaching out for the teacup towards her bag. She'd forgotten something vital.

"The other day, I suddenly imposed on you – "

Putting on a meek expression, Yumi held out a prettily wrapped box that was about the size of a sewing kit.

"Oh my."

"My mother sends her thanks."

"How courteous. But, I didn't do anything. You should be giving those to Kei-san instead."

"No, I have another one for Katou-san."

Yumi pressed the box forwards, offering them to the elderly woman, who faithfully accepted them with a, "Well, in that case," and opened the wrapping.

"How delightful. Maple Parlor baked cookies. These will go well with milk tea. If you'll just wait a minute, we can eat these together."

She took two of the individually wrapped cookies and placed them on Yumi's saucer. Chocolate and plain. They were both Yumi's favorite.

"May I inquire as to your name?"

"Ah, it's Yumi. I'm Fukuzawa Yumi."

"My, what a wonderful coincidence."

The old lady clapped her hands together, her eyes sparkling.

"I'm a Yumi too. But with 'ko' at the end."

The landlady said her name was Ikegami Yumiko, and that she was a graduate of Lillian's. And just like that, they established a good rapport, and started calling each other, "Yumi-san," and "Yumiko-san." If they were strictly following tradition, then it should have been "Yumiko-sama," but the person in question said that she preferred "Yumiko-san."

"You seem to come from a good family, Yumi-san."

Yumiko-san remarked, as she unwrapped a cookie.

"Ah, not at all. I come from a long line of commoners."

Yumi hastily shook her head. It wasn't just humility, the Fukuzawa lineage was exceedingly ordinary.

"I wasn't talking about wealth or prestige or anything like that. What I meant was you have conscientious parents who have raised a well-mannered daughter."

"Oh … is that so?"

Yumi wasn't often praised like that, so she didn't quite know how to react. Part of the reason was that Lillian's Girls Academy was a gathering spot for well-trained daughters of high class families, and students of Yumi's caliber were run-of-the-mill, so weren't necessarily valued as highly. As for her parents, well it wasn't that they weren't conscientious, but they weren't particularly strict either – they were just normal parents.

"Perhaps people are just unable to see the true value of what they possess."

"Hmmm … "

What did she mean by 'the true value of what she possessed?' Before Yumi started to grapple with the question itself, first she posed it as a reading comprehension problem. "In 100 words, explain the meaning of the phrase the elderly lady in front of you just said." But even when put like that, she couldn't derive the correct answer.

While Yumi was thinking about this, Yumiko-san chuckled.

"May I say something about my impression of you, Yumi-san?"

"Yes?"

"You're incredibly earnest. In your student handbook, you've probably got approval from your homeroom teacher for your visit here, right?"

"–"

Bingo. But rather than earnestness, that was simply cowardice.

When she'd visited the other day, it hadn't been planned, and it was done primarily to get out of the rain, so she hadn't sought permission. But with a planned visit, she would have felt nervous if she hadn't got permission. Scared that someone would challenge her.

Because it was completely different to stopping at the train station's book store. She was visiting someone's house, carrying a box of cookies.

"You must be popular with the older students."

"I'm not so sure."

"Then, the younger students?"

"No, not really."

When Yumi heard 'younger students,' she pictured Touko-chan's face.

"Really?"

Yumi-san smiled as she sipped her tea.

"You have an onee-sama?"

"Onee-sama … "

"Oh, perhaps that's something I shouldn't ask about."

Yumiko-san asked, her expression that of a child who had done something wrong, when she saw Yumi struggling for words.

"It's nothing like that. Currently, you could say we're quarreling, there's been a bit of a misunderstanding – "

Yumi hid that they were on the brink of collapse. It wasn't something she wanted to talk about with other people, and just putting it into words would likely bring tears along too.

Sometimes it's helpful to talk about problems with someone else, but there's also things that are made even tougher by putting them into words.

If she were to utter the words, "Some day I may no longer be Sachiko-sama's petit soeur," then it felt like that day would come sooner.

"Do you like your onee-sama?"

Yumiko-san asked, out of the blue.

"Yes."

Despite the sudden question, Yumi answered without stopping to think. Setting aside all the extraneous questions, like, "What's Sachiko-sama thinking?" or, "What about Touko-chan?" and thinking purely about Sachiko-sama, Yumi still liked her.

"Then in that case, it'll all be fine."

"Huh?"

"As long as you like your onee-sama, things between you will return to normal. After all, she was somebody that you chose."

"I chose her?"

Not "was chosen by her", but "chose her?"

"Right. She was somebody that you chose. She's not going to be so foolish as to let go of you."

"I think you're really overestimating me."

Yumi smiled, shrugging her shoulders. But Yumiko-san had a serious expression, like a prophet, as she said:

"Have some more confidence. There's hardly anyone who could grow to hate you, Yumi-san."

"That's not true."

Touko-chan had said, "Despicable," and, "I misjudged you." She hadn't been acting. That had been her true face.

"When you're told something harsh, even by someone who likes you, it can come as a bit of a shock."

Yumiko-san said, when Yumi accidentally let her complaint slip out.

"Perhaps that girl's jealous of you."

"Jealous?"

Such incredible positive thinking. It was only because she didn't know Touko-chan's character that she could say something like that.

"There's a chemistry to human relationships, and people who don't hit it off together draw away from each other. Spontaneously."

"Really?"

"When you care for someone, there are times when you have to speak strongly to them. But it can be difficult to see that – "

Yumiko-san had a faraway look in her eyes as she spoke. Like the video's pause button had been pressed, her finger remained lightly touching the rim of her teacup, without even a slight tremor.

"Yu-Yumiko-san?"

Growing uneasy, Yumi called out, and Yumiko-san snapped out of it, like someone coming out of hypnosis.

"Ah, I'm sorry. Some very old emotions were brought back, just now."

"I was a bit surprised."

Yumi clutched her chest. She'd half suspected that it had been a heart-attack, or a stroke, or something like that. After all, Yumiko-san was quite elderly.

"They're memories of when I wore the same uniform as you, Yumi-san. Really, we've come such a long way since then."

We.

Yumiko-san was probably speaking of herself and someone else.

"… I miss her."

Yumiko-san mumbled drowsily as she looked out the window.

Part 2

"That's unusual. Yumiko-san doesn't usually invite people in to her living room and then doze off."

Katou-san said in amazement, when she poked her head in through the window on her arrival home.

Was it unusual that Yumiko-san invited people in, or that she dozed off in front of them? Yumi couldn't quite decide which was intended, but there wasn't any real need to investigate further, so she simply greeted Katou-san with, "Gokigenyou." Quietly, so she didn't wake Yumiko-san.

"I think she's taken a shine to you, Yumi-san. Maybe a bit envious. Despite her misanthropy."

"Misanthropy? Yumiko-san?"

Hearing Katou-san's words, Yumi instinctively laughed. Sure, when Yumi had first come, she'd drawn the curtain and hadn't come out to greet them, but she explained that that was because she wasn't at her best when it rained – . However, Katou-san was being serious.

"In truth, she can be quite difficult."

"Even to you?"

"Not so much to me. I can rent here at a reasonable price because she likes me."

While Yumiko-san slept soundly in her rocking chair, Katou-san found a lap blanket somewhere and draped it over her. Yumiko-san said, "Mmm," and moved slightly, but soon returned to the land of sleep.

Katou-san suggested they go somewhere else, and so they left Yumiko-san.

"There was a really strict interview when I applied to rent here."

Arriving back at her place, Katou-san took a can of oolong tea from the refrigerator and offered it to Yumi.

"With Yumiko-san?"

" – and a relative."

"Relative?"

Despite having milk tea with Yumiko-san, Yumi said, "Thank-you," and opened the can's pull top. In this humid season her thirst was insatiable, and oolong tea was delicious.

"See, she doesn't have any children. Her relatives live far away, and were worried about her living alone, so she decided to take in a boarder. She's not renting the room out for the income. So rather than a tenant, I'm more of a companion, caregiver, and aide."

That's just like Katou-san.

"That's why I got an incredible deal, especially for a one bedroom apartment in the metro area."

There had been a lot of applicants, because it was such an incredible deal, so she wouldn't have been staying there if she hadn't passed the interview and agreed to the strict conditions.

"Yumi-chan, if you're going to Lillian's University, I could put in a recommendation for you to live here after me."

"Huh."

"It's a joke. You seem to get along well with your family, so you probably won't leave home."

Katou-san smiled. Even though she said it was a joke, her deadpan delivery was amazing.

"So, what brings you here today?"

"Ah."

It was at this point that Yumi suddenly remembered, and handed over the same box of cookies that she'd earlier given to Yumiko-san.

"Oh, I didn't invite you back to my place because I was expecting a reward."

"But you were a huge help."

Of course there was the physical aspect of drying Yumi's uniform, but she was also grateful for the time given to her by Katou-san, which allowed her frozen heart to thaw.

"Plus these."

Yumi held out more items, wrapped in plastic, that her mother had bought at the same time she bought the sweets. There was an undershirt and a pair of boyshorts, from a 100-yen shop. They weren't exactly the same as the ones Yumi had taken, but the important part was the 100-yen pricetag.

"For the next time you have a friend that's in need."

"How conscientious … "

Katou-san smirked as she went ahead and took the items, put the underwear in a drawer and set the sweets on the traditional Japanese desk by the window.

Next to it was a small picture frame.

Yumi hadn't noticed it when she was here the other day. The snapshot inside was faded from the sun and looked quite old. There was a young couple with a child who looked about four. It looked like an amusement park in the background, and it seemed to be a happy photo.

Noticing Yumi's gaze, Katou-san said:

"It's instead of an altar."

"An altar … "

"My parents and me. Of the three, two of us are still alive, but I thought a photograph with all of us together would be less lonely. So I've got a family photo. I think my mother would be pleased by the photograph with me and dad too."

"Your mother's – "

Ooh, what to do? Yumi was suddenly beset by panic. Until now, she hadn't really considered that there were people around her age whose mother had passed away. She didn't know what she should say to those people, but then she wondered what would happen if her own mother was to die tomorrow, and was thrust into darkness by despairing thoughts.

No, she had to set aside her own emotions for now. Just now, she'd been innocently saying things like, "My mother bought these for you," and, "Mom sends her regards too." How did Katou-san feel, hearing these things?

"Oh, I'm sorry. Things turned serious there."

Katou-san spoke in an upbeat manner, in direct contradiction to her words.

"It happened fifteen years ago, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Fifteen years … "

Which meant that her mother had died not long after that photo was taken.

"So, your father must have been pretty lonely when you moved out then?"

It was a casual comment, but a needless one.

"Well, about that. Recently, a new mother arrived."

"Huh?"

Did she mean that her father remarried?

What to do? Yumi hadn't meant to pry into her new acquaintance's family circumstances, yet she found herself plunging headfirst into them.

"Um …"

Should she say, "Congratulations?" That felt a bit strange. From the daughter's point of view, it didn't seem like it would necessarily be a good thing either. – While Yumi was puzzling over this, Katou-san continued.

"And me, I'm repeating first-year."

"Huh?"

The hits kept coming, this time from a different direction to the one Yumi was guarding against.

"Repeating … "

In other words, while she was in the same grade as Sei-sama, who had started university this year, she was a year older.

"I didn't have a gap year, or anything like that, I entered Lillian's last year, and this is my second go at first-year. In summer last year, my father collapsed and was taken to hospital unconscious. See, he's an only child, and I'm his only family. Because of that, I couldn't concentrate on my studies, so I took a leave of absence. Even when he was over the worst of it, it took a long time until he was able to walk again. He's still going to rehab because there's a little bit of paralysis remaining even now."

"…"

Yumi had no idea how to respond to any of this.

It felt like she was gradually being dragged into the depths, with no idea where this story was going.

"But it wasn't all bad. As a result of his illness, he reconnected with an old lover from ten years ago, and they had a civil ceremony when he left hospital. I was a bit surprised, because I'd never even heard of her until recently, but she's a really nice lady. She's almost been too good to him. She takes care of him, so I could go back to university … It's a strange bit of luck. Because I waited a year, this place became available, so I could move out of home."

The proverb "Old Man Sai's Horse," that Yumi had been taught in Classical Literature leapt out of the textbook and galloped around her head.

Life wasn't all bad, so there was no call for pessimism. But neither do the good times continue forever, so you can't always be having fun.

Why had Katou-san told Yumi this story? Was she trying to cheer her up?

"I just wanted to tell you this."

She wanted to talk to someone about her situation. That's what Katou-san said. To talk about her father's sickness and about her step-mother. Apparently it had been a while since she'd been able to talk to someone.

When she was in the middle of the maelstrom, there were only her emotions, and it was hard to calmly put the situation into words. There was too much to think about, nothing she wanted to say, and no-one to listen anyway. But then one day she ran out of strength, and wanted to talk to someone about her situation. For Katou-san, it just happened to be Yumi that she talked to.

"I'm sorry that you got soaked Yumi-chan, but I'm glad it rained that day."

"Because it meant you got to know Sei-sama?"

"Sei-sama … ? Ah, Satou-san, right."

Katou-san laughed and ran a hand through her hair.

"It's interesting, that's for sure. Those Lillian traditions. Occasionally, one of the other girls will call her Rosa Gi … something."

"Rosa Gigantea."

"Right. Rosa Gigantea! Is that like a lifelong position?"

"At the moment, one of my friends has succeeded her as Rosa Gigantea."

"And you?"

"I'm Rosa Chinensis en bouton … at least for now."

"For now, huh."

Katou-san must have witnessed the scene of Sachiko-sama and Touko-chan driving off in a black car. She'd also probably heard Yumi crying out, "Onee-sama." So she could probably guess, more or less, why Yumi had been soaked like a drowned rat.

Even so, she didn't say anything. While she had opened up about herself, she didn't try to coerce Yumi into doing the same.

Yumi didn't say anything, enjoying the silence. In silence, they both drank their oolong tea.

At that point.

"Quite a suspicious atmosphere between the two of you."

An intruder appeared, sticking a boot into their quiet contemplation.

"Su-suspicious?"

Katou-san and Yumi looked at each other.

"Suspicious, suspicious. Katou-san, hands off my teddy bear."

The boot was just a figure of speech, for Sei-sama had properly removed her sandals before entering the house.

"Yumi-chan's your teddy bear?"

"Yep. She's so soft and cuddly when you hug her tight. On top of that, she's nice and warm. It feels so good that before long I start to feel sleepy."

Sei-sama sat behind Yumi and hugged her like she was trying to eat her head.

"Ah, it's been a while. Yumi-chan, wouldn't you rather be my pet?"

Squeeze, squeeze. As Sei-sama prodded her arms, Yumi drowsily said:

"I wouldn't."

If Sei-sama protected her, then she'd undoubtedly find a comfy, sleepy sort of peace of mind, but that wasn't right. While it was nice to be indulged and spoiled once in a while, if that happened all the time it felt like she'd lose the ability to think, worry, and choose for herself.

So, painful as it may be, the times she needed Sei-sama was when she had no-one else to turn to.

Like the joker in a game of cards. A superhero who protects the world.

"Hearing that, I'm relieved."

Sei-sama released Yumi, then laughed as she said:

"It takes a lot of energy to keep up with you, Yumi-chan."

Apparently it was a test of stamina, even for a superhero.

Translator's Notes

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